Ontario family says waste disposal bin was returned to their driveway after renovation

One family says a dumpster was left on their driveway after the contractor failed to pay the rental fee. Pat Foran reports for Consumer Alert.

An Ontario family hired a contractor to do some home renovations and used a rented waste disposal bin they say the contractor agreed to pay for as part of their contract.

But when their renovation was done, the contractor was nowhere to be found and the bin company brought the waste bin back to the family’s driveway, leaving it there until the bill was paid.

“I thought it was in the wrong spot,” said Mara Swartz of Thornhill.

Mara and her husband, Jeff Swartz, originally had the bin in their driveway when they hired a contractor to renovate their ensuite bathroom.

“We took out the old Jacuzzi, put in a free-floating tub, a glass shower and new tiles,” said Mara Swartz.

The Swartzes said overall their renovation went fine and as part of the couple’s contract, the contractor agreed he would pay to have the bin removed, but after the job was done, they didn’t hear from him again.

When the bin company came to remove the waste disposal bin, the Swartzes were told they would have to pay the outstanding $495 rental bill.

“He said ‘you have to pay me’ and we said ‘no the contractor has to pay you,’” Jeff Swartz told CTV News Toronto.

The company did take the bin away, but later brought it back filled with someone else’s debris and left it on the Swartzes' driveway.

“One day I got a phone call from Mara and she said, ‘are we renovating again?’ I said ‘no’ and she said ‘well there is a bin back in the driveway,’” Jeff Swartz said.

The bin company told the Swartzes the contractor failed to pay the $495 rental charge, so it would remain in their driveway until the bill was paid in full.

‘We don’t care'

“We’re sorry, our policy is if the bin hasn’t been paid for, we get it back and it is loaded with junk and it stays there until we get paid. Whether it’s you or the contractor, we don’t care,” Mara Swartz said the bin company told her and her husband.

The couple rented the waste disposal bin from Binners. When CTV News reached out to the company, it said in a statement, “Unfortunately, when a contractor does not fulfill their payment obligations and is unresponsive for an extended period, we are left with very limited options to recover outstanding balances. This issue is not unique to bin rental services but is common across many trades in the construction industry.”

“When contractors fail to pay for services or materials, suppliers—including bin rental companies, material providers, and subcontractors— must take steps to recover outstanding balances. This can include withholding services, returning equipment, or, in some cases, placing a lien on the property, as the homeowner is the ultimate beneficiary of the work performed.”

“We understand that situations like this can be frustrating for homeowners, and we always encourage clear agreements between homeowners and their contractors to prevent misunderstandings.”

The company suggests the following recommendations so consumers can avoid similar issues.

Binners said to ensure payment terms are clearly documented, homeowners should request written confirmation from their contractor regarding who is responsible for all third-party services, such as bin rentals, materials, and subcontractors.

They also advise to ask for a copy of service agreements and if a bin or any third-party service is being used on a residential property, homeowners may want to request a copy of the agreement with the provider.

You should also confirm final payment before a project is completed and before making the final payment to a contractor, homeowners should confirm that all subcontractors and service providers have been paid.

As for the Swartzes, they ended up paying the rental bill for the bin and it was removed from their property. They wanted to share their story to warn others doing renovations to include rental bin charges in the contract.

“Just make sure it’s in the contract and get bills to show it has been paid,” said Jeff Swartz.